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E-Quipped to... Survive the Silly Season “Under the Limit”

This newsletter introduces Cheers! Here’s to Your Health, an article I have written and posted on my website.

The Silly Season is almost upon us – with its energy and excesses. Too often there’s too much of everything – over spending, over eating, drinking too much and driving over the limit.

But what does “over the limit” even mean? Sure it means driving when you have had too much alcohol to drink, but in real terms what is too much?

I am always quite stunned at how little people actually know when it comes to alcohol and its effects on our body, even though their (and our) lives may depend on it.

How much do YOU know?

Take up the Challenge

Answer these questions right now:

• As a substance, is alcohol a stimulant, a depressant or a hallucinogenic?
• What are the symptoms of someone who is at level 4 of alcohol impairment?
• What does “over the limit” mean?
• How much alcohol can I drink and still be under the limit?
• What is a unit of alcohol?
• How long does it take your body to process one unit of alcohol?
• How many units of alcohol is a large glass (250ml) of wine (14% ABV)?
• How many units of alcohol is a bottle (330ml) of beer (5% ABV)?
• By what percentage are your chances of having an accident increased after drinking only two mouthfuls of wine?

How did you do? Check out the answers…

Levels of Alcohol Impairment

Alcohol is a depressant. It depresses our central nervous system (our brain and spinal cord) so that our functioning is impaired. The more we drink, the more impaired our functioning becomes until ultimately we die. 

There are four levels of alcohol impairment based on how much alcohol we have had to drink and so, in turn, how much alcohol we have in our blood stream. If you look at the levels below you will see that at each level our functioning becomes significantly worse.

Level 1: Mild Impairment – 0.0 - 0.05%
(i.e. 0 - 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood)

(Note: 0.05% is the South African, Australian & New Zealand legal limit for safe driving)

• Mild speech, memory, attention, coordination, balance impairments
• Perceived beneficial effects, such as relaxation
• Sleepiness can begin

Level 2: Increased Impairment – 0.06 - 0.15%
(i.e. 60mg – 150mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood)

(Note: 0.08% is the UK legal limit & the USA legal limit for drivers over 21 years of age)

• Perceived beneficial effects of alcohol, such as relaxation, give way to increasing intoxication
• Increased risk of aggression in some people
• Speech, memory, attention, coordination, balance further impaired
• Significant impairments in all driving skills
• Increased risk of injury to self and others
• Moderate memory impairments

Level 3: Severe Impairment – 0.16 - 0.30%
(i.e. 160mg – 300mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood)

• Speech, memory, coordination, attention, reaction time, balance significantly impaired
• All driving-related skills dangerously impaired
• Judgement and decision making dangerously impaired
• Blackouts (amnesia)
• Vomiting and other signs of alcohol poisoning common
• Loss of consciousness

Level 4: Life Threatening – 0.31 - 0.45%
(i.e. 310mg – 450mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood)

• Loss of consciousness
• Danger of life-threatening alcohol poisoning
• Significant risk of death in most drinkers due to suppression of vital life functions

What Does “Over the Limit” Mean?

Sure it means driving when you have had too much alcohol to drink, but what is too much?

The limits for driving safely are different for different countries around the world.

In South Africa, the legal blood alcohol limit is less than 0.05 mg per 100 ml and the legal breath alcohol limit is less than 0.24 micrograms in 1000 ml of breath.

In the UK, the legal blood alcohol limit is less than 0.08 g per 100 ml and legal breath alcohol limit is less than 0.35 micrograms of alcohol per 1000 millilitres of breath.

How Much Alcohol can I Drink and Still be Under the Limit?

The rule of thumb is a maximum of one unit of alcohol per hour, which constitutes 10ml of pure alcohol, based on an adult weighing 68kg. (If you weigh less than 68kg your body will need more time to process the same amount of alcohol).

One unit is equal to 0.02g blood alcohol. Our bodies can process only one unit of alcohol each hour, which means that 2 drinks within the space of one hour will put you over the limit.

It doesn’t matter what you’re drinking, the important thing to know is how strong your drink is, and how much you’re having. For example, a single (25ml) shot/shooter is only ½ unit in most instances, but one pint of 5% lager contains nearly 3 units.

Once the alcohol is in your system your liver is going to need time to process it, and restricting yourself to only one unit per hour will give your body the time it needs to stay sober in the eyes of the law. There are no quick-fix solutions. Nothing can lower BAC except time.  Drinkingcoffee to get sober is a myth, as is taking a cold shower or drinking a litre of water.

But how much is a unit of alcohol? This is where many people go horribly wrong, assuming for example that one unit of wine is a full glass of wine or a full bottle of beer. But actually one unit of wine (with an alcohol content of 12% to 14%) is only two mouthfuls! And one unit of beer or spirit cooler (with 5% alcohol content) is equal to only two thirds of a bottle.

Let’s take a look at different drinks and how much of it makes up a unit.

Units of Alcohol per Drink Type

1 unit is equal to 0.02g blood alcohol. (Source: Drunk Driving Laws in South Africa)

Remember it takes your body approximately 1 hour to process 1 unit of alcohol (if you weigh more than 68kgs), so you can use the information above as a guide to work out how long it takes for the alcohol to leave your system. (For people under 68kgs, add extra time).

You can find the table in my article: Cheers! Here’s to Your Health.

Drinking and Driving: What are Your Chances of Having an Accident?

You have already seen in the table above that alcohol causes significant impairments in all driving skills. The reality is that after only one unit of alcohol, your chances of being in an accident are doubled, and even if you are still in the legal limit of 0.24mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood (level 1), you are four times more likely to be in an accident.

In South Africa 40% of drivers who die on the road have alcohol levels in excess of 0.08 mgs / 100 ml (level 2).

It’s important to keep in mind that the more your drink the more impaired your cognitive functioning becomes – so if you are over the limit you may think that you are quite capable of driving safely, when in fact you just can’t. Unfortunately, if you are over the limit you won’t be thinking rationally, so you won’t be keeping this in mind! Make arrangements to get home safely before you start drinking.

A Word on Sleep

Alcohol is not the only element to consider when it comes to our health this season. Lack of sleep is another big factor to consider. Did you know that if you go 12 consecutive nights on six hours’ sleep, it’s equivalent to a blood alcohol of 0.1%, (level 2) which is marked by slurred speech, poor balance, and impaired memory? In other words, you’re functioning as if you are drunk.

And did you know that the performance of someone who has been awake for 24 hours is equivalent to that associated with a blood alcohol level 25% more than the current UK legal limit of 0.8% (level 2)? This makes them seven times more likely to have an accident.

The message here is that getting enough sleep and staying under the limit when it comes to drinking alcohol is really important if you want to survive this silly season.

You can read about how to ensure that you get good quality sleep in my article “Insomnia”.

You can read the full article here: “Cheers! Here’s to Your Health”.

Regards

About These Emails

You may have been forwarded this email by a friend. In that case, allow me to introduce myself. I am a psychologist, speaker, trainer, coach and hat lover based in Kloof, a suburb of Durban, South Africa. I also do online counselling and coaching and I have clients all over the world.

On my website you'll find lots of free articles, posters and worksheets. I have written and created them all with the intention of helping you find your inner winner. Read, them use them, share them!

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